


Remember me

by Elemental_sorceress1



Category: High School Musical (Movies)
Genre: Accidents, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Drinking, M/M, NotRyanorChad, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-01-27 17:56:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21396283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elemental_sorceress1/pseuds/Elemental_sorceress1
Summary: After an accident, Ryan is left unable to remember the last eleven years of his life. His last memories being senior year, how will he react to the changes in his life?
Relationships: Chad Danforth/Ryan Evans
Comments: 7
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

Growing up all Chad Danforth had wanted to do was play Basketball, unfortunately, as he got older he realized that beyond high school he wasn't actually tall enough to play Basketball, at five feet nine inches tall he was too short to play professionally. In college, he turned his attention more towards baseball. He studied business as well because his parents wanted him to make sure he had a plan to fall back on just in case.

After graduating college he was lucky enough to end up playing professional baseball, he signed with the Mets and left Albuquerque for New York. He had friends he played basketball with when he wasn't busy, one who had access to a gym where they could gather together and play.  
Chad had just dodged around one of his friends, before throwing the ball, watching briefly as it soared towards the net when one of the doors to the gym crashed open.

"Danforth!" Sharpay Evans called running into the room heeled shoes clicking on the linoleum floor, Chad had never seen the blonde less than perfectly put together, but now her normally perfectly styled hair was messy, and there were tracks down her cheeks left by her mascara.

"What's wrong?" Chad asked, his friends crowding around behind him to watch.

"Ryan, there was an accident" was the only thing Sharpay managed to get out around broken sobs, her manicured hands coming up to cover her mouth as she folded in on her self. Chad's heart clenched as he stood frozen for a second before he rushed forward. 

It was a testament to how upset Sharpay was, and how serious the situation that she didn't protest Chad touching her as he led her from the gym, usually she'd complain about him being sweaty and gross just looking at him.

Sharpay didn't argue even when Chad guided her over to his car, she always turned her nose up at it usually, but all she did was slide into the passenger seat and curl in on herself, her body shaking with the force of her sobs.

XXX

Mrs. Evans met them in the lobby of the hospital, she looked similar to her daughter, tears in her eyes, and the small amount of eye makeup she wore smeared on her cheeks, she pulled both of them into a hug, one hand petting the blonde hair of her daughter.

"What happened?" Chad asked when the woman released them, his hands were shaking, and he couldn't make them stop, so he shoved them into the pockets of his shorts instead.

"A drunk driver ran a red light, he was speeding and Ryan didn't have time to stop, another driver behind Ryan called 911. He wasn't responsive when paramedics arrived, he was rushed into surgery, that's all we know right now" the woman replied.

"Where's Daddy?" Sharpay asked, wiping at her eyes.

"He's trying to get more information" she answered, pulling a handkerchief from her purse and wiping gently at her daughter's cheeks.

"I'll go get us some coffee" Chad offered, he didn't really want coffee he just needed to do something, so he didn't feel useless.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Mrs. Evans said, guiding Sharpay over to the waiting room.

XXX

Mrs. Evans was the only one of the three of them to take a few sips of the coffee, Chad knew she only did it to be polite. Mr. Evans appeared twenty minutes after Chad returned with the coffee, he shook his head when his wife looked up at him, hoping for some news about their son. The older man sat between his wife and daughter, each hand holding one of their own, trying to comfort them as much as he could.

Two hours later a man in surgery scrubs appeared, all four of them stood, Chad and Sharpay remained in the waiting room however when Mr. and Mrs. Evans followed the man out of the room, Sharpay gripped his hand.

"He's going to be alright" Mrs. Evans announced when she returned, her shoulders were slumped, her face looking relieved and tired.

"A broken hand and leg, a minor concussion, some of the glass embedded into his skin, and some internal bleeding, but they got everything under control. He'll need some physical therapy, but the doctor doesn't see any reason that he won't be able to dance like he did before" Mr. Evans explained. Sharpay collapsed into a chair like a puppet with its strings cut, she scrubbed at her tear-stained face with both hands.

"He won't wake up until tomorrow, we should all go home and get some rest. He wouldn't want us to sit here the entire night and worry over him" Mrs. Evans said gently.

Mr. Evans gripped Chad's shoulder and Mrs. Evans placed a kiss to his cheek when they walked out of the hospital before they went their separate ways. Sharpay following her parents to their car silently.

XXX

Luckily Baseball season was over, and though the coach liked them to still practice, so they were prepared for the next season, the man simply hummed when Chad called the next day to explain the situation and told Chad that he'd see him next week for practice.

Mrs. Evans greeted him in the lobby of the hospital, she looked better than she had the day before, her eyes were still slightly teary and a little red. Chad smiled at her, hoping to comfort her as much as possible. Her mouth stretched into a small smile in return as she grabbed his hand before turning, leading him through the hospital easily.  
The four of them were all crowded around Ryan's bed when his eyes opened, his mother sitting beside the bed and griping one of his hands in her own. Sharpay stood on the other side of his bed, Mr. Evans stood behind his wife, his hand curled over her shoulder and Chad hovered at the foot of the bed.

Ryan blinked blearily before smiling slightly at his mother who let out a small sob and started kissing the hand she held repeatedly. Sharpay smiled for the first time since she'd heard Ryan was hurt and ran a hand through the blonde hair of her twin.

"Ducky, my darling boy" Mrs. Evans breathed out after a minute, gently placing a palm against Ryan's cheek.  
Ryan finally seemed to notice Chad standing there and blinked again, confusion written across his bruised face.

"Who are you?" Ryan asked, everyone seemed to freeze for a second, Mrs. Evans covered her mouth with one hand, eyes wide as she looked between her son and Chad. The words seemed to suck all the sound out of the room and Chad bit his lip, trying to keep the tears he felt prickling at the back of his eyes from falling.

"I'm going to go find the doctor" Mr. Evans finally said, breaking the silence and returning the sound to the room once again.

"That's Chad sweetie, remember?" Mrs. Evans prompted gently, Ryan looked confused for a few more seconds before his face lit up in recognition, Chad sighed in relief.

"Danforth?" Ryan asked Chad nodded "But you look different, where's your hair?" Ryan asked, and Chad froze all over again.

"It's alright sweetheart" the blonde woman soothed, her gaze was fixed on Ryan but Chad wasn't sure if she was trying to comfort him or her son.

XXX

Mr. Evans returned a few minutes later, Ryan's doctor following behind him, looking a little worn out, but he smiled at Ryan and walked over to the bed, Mrs. Evans moving out of his way, standing by her husband's side near the door.

"Hello, can you answer some simple questions for me?" the doctor asked, Ryan, nodded, still looking lost.

"Can you tell me your name?" was the first question.

"Ryan Evans" was answered easily.

"That's great, can you tell me what year it is?" the doctor asked.

"2008?" Ryan replied, the answer coming out more like a question.

"Okay, you did wonderfully, but 2008 was eleven years ago. You were involved in an accident, and some confusion and amnesia is very common. We'll run some scans just to be sure, but I'm sure this is just temporary" the doctor told Ryan gently, the blonde looked even more confused.

"It's alright Ducky," his mother said, going to her son's side once again and grabbing his hand.

"A nurse will be up soon to take him for a scan, we'll know more after that. Don't try to force his memory" the doctor told them before leaving the room.  
As promised a nurse arrived shortly after, wheeling Ryan out of the room, the four of them following behind them until they entered the elevator.

"Maybe I should go, he doesn't remember me, and he's obviously confused why I'm here," Chad said, hands shoved into his pockets and shoulders hunched.

"Nonsense, you were his friend in high school and I'm sure he'll be happy to see his friend" Mrs. Evans assured him, laying a gentle hand on his arm.


	2. Chapter 2

Chad returned to the hospital the next day as well, Ryan still didn't remember anything after their senior year of high school, and though he'd ask a few questions he seemed willing to accept the answer that they would help him remember everything later.

Chad and Ryan had become friends after the staff baseball game at Lava Springs and had remained friends throughout senior year, so the blonde willingly accepted Chad's presence in his hospital room. 

The only problem was that Ryan didn't remember what they meant to each other, didn't remember Chad coming out during his second year of college, didn't remember how after they both seemed to circle each other, didn't remember Chad confessing his feelings to Ryan out of jealousy when the blonde went on a date with a guy he'd met in a Starbucks or the subsequent seven years they've been together.

It wasn't easy pretending that he was nothing more than Ryan's friend, even though their relationship might not have changed too much from when they were just friends. Chad hated that he couldn't kiss Ryan, or hold his hand, couldn't pet his hair, hated that he had to act like it didn't gut him every time Ryan called him 'Danforth' instead of Chad.

XXX

Sharpay was in the room when Chad entered, sitting in the chair by the bed and carefully dotting chapstick onto Ryan's lips with a fingertip. The bruising on Ryan's face was gone, well carefully hidden under foundation.

"Please tell me he agreed to you putting makeup on him," Chad said in lieu of a greeting, it wasn't the first time Sharpay had done her brothers makeup, it wouldn't even be the first time she had done it while he was sleeping.

"Of course he did, and it's just some foundation and a little blush" Sharpay replied with a roll of her eyes, shoving the chapstick back into her purse.

"Now, I have to go but I'll come back tomorrow," Sharpay said, standing from her seat.

"Bye Shar" Ryan retorted smiling at his sister who smiled back at him, bending to kiss his forehead.

"I'll bring you a hat tomorrow" she promised as she left the room, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Chad asked, shoving his hands into his pockets anxiously.

"I'm alright, thank you" Ryan replied with a smile.

"How are you feeling today?" Chad asked, sitting in the chair Sharpay had vacated minutes earlier.

"I feel good, but that's probably the morphine," Ryan told him, Chad laughed.

"Your dad said that you'll be released soon," Chad said, not sure what else to say.

"Yeah, I'll still have to take it easy but at least I won't be stuck in the hospital anymore" Ryan agreed, a large smile on his face. 

XXX

Ryan would be released in three days, but with him being released brought along another problem, namely where he would go. Chad wasn't sure if it would be in Ryan's best interest to be brought home to their shared apartment, but Sharpay lived in a one-bedroom apartment, and Mr. and Mrs. Evans were only in New York on a visit and still lived in Albuquerque.

"Being in a familiar place might help him regain his memories, you can show him pictures and tell him stuff just take it slow and if he seems to be getting overwhelmed then stop. He doesn't have any damage to his brain so I'm sure that his amnesia is temporary" the doctor said when Chad asked if Ryan would be alright in their apartment.

After being reassured by Ryan's doctor, Chad decided that it was the time he told Ryan about their relationship, after all, he'd figure it out once he was home. Chad took a deep breath to steel his nerves before entering Ryan's room. He wasn't sure how the blonde would react to the information, he knew that Ryan did have a crush on him at one point in high school but he still didn't know if Ryan would be happy or not.

"Hey Ryan, I need to talk to you," Chad told him when he entered the room. Ryan smiled at him, a green newsboy cap situated on his head, he had a small collection of hats in the room now, Sharpay brought him one every time she came to see him.

XXX

Ryan looked around the apartment curiously, hoping that something would jog his memory, but the only thing that he could remember was a picture of him and Sharpay in their costumes from one of the school plays.

The walls of the apartment were a pale blue, a grey sofa and two matching armchairs sat facing a wall-mounted big-screen TV, a variety of remote controls sat on a glass-topped coffee table. Situated against a wall by the door was a display case, proudly displaying various awards and achievements.

"I got the room ready for you last night, but if there's anything you need you can just shout. I'll make dinner around six and give you some more pain killers. I have to go to practice for a few hours tomorrow but Sharpay's going to come over to help you" Chad told him, guiding Ryan's wheelchair through the apartment. 

Chad helped Ryan get settled on the king-sized bed his back resting against the cherry wood headboard, the dark blue comforter covering his lap before he pulled the medication Ryan had been given out of his bag and placed them on the bedside table. 

Ryan grabbed the simple silver frame from its place on the stand, studying the picture of him and Chad, he was wearing a white button-up with black dress pants, Chad's arms were wrapped around his waist his chin resting on one of his shoulders, both of them smiling widely at the camera.

"That was taken opening night of the first play you played the lead in, it wasn't that popular and only lasted a month, but all of the reviews praised your talent. I was so proud of you, seeing you on that stage, putting everything you had into that performance, even though you knew the play sucked" Chad told him, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Why did I audition if I didn't like the play?" Ryan asked, looking up from the picture.

"You liked it at first, then the director decided to rewrite half of it and by then it was too late for you to quit" he answered with a shrug.

"Am I in any plays now?" Ryan asked, setting the frame back on the stand.

"No, you took a break to do choreography, we have tickets to opening night to see a play you did the choreography for in two weeks" Chad replied.

"What if I don't remember anything by then?" the blond asked.

"We'll still go if you want to, you'll just watch the show like everyone else, with no knowledge of what's going on" the darker-skinned man retorted.

"And what if I never remember anything, when will you get tired of sitting here with a partner who doesn't remember any of the moments that were important?" Ryan asked.

"Ryan, I love you, and you not being able to remember when we started dating or our first kiss doesn't change that. You're still you, you might be older but you really haven't changed that much since high school. If you want me to leave, now or in the future I will, but I'm not going to leave you just because you can't remember, because what's important to me is you, and as long as you're alive then nothing else matters" Chad told him with a small smile, one hand on his shoulder.

Ryan returned the smile, but he didn't actually think Chad could promise that when he didn't know for sure that Ryan would remember anything. And if he didn't, what would happen then? The last thing he remembered was graduating, he didn't remember Julliard, and while the diploma didn't change, his knowledge had, how was he going to support himself? He knew his parents would take care of him if he never got his memory back and couldn't do it himself, but he didn't want to be a burden on them or Chad.

Once Chad left the room, Ryan pulled his uninjured leg up to his chest and let himself cry, cry over all of the memories he had lost, cry over his uncertainty of the future, cry for the worry and fear he'd caused his family, and cry over the man he wished he could remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for how long this chapter took, but I hope you like it.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first time writing for this series and this pairing but I'm so excited about this story and I hope that everyone likes it. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for Chad at first, he was only shown really being interested in Basketball, and Baseball in the movies, and Corbin Bleu is only 5'9, so clearly, Basketball wasn't really an option. I figured he'd enjoy being a professional baseball player though.
> 
> I haven't seen the fourth movie, so if it does mention what Chad does just please remember that this story is really only going off of the first three movies. Thank you. I'd love to hear any and all comments!


End file.
